


outside the normal timestream

by DanceWithMeForScience



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Book: Star Trek Discovery Annual (2018) - Kirsten Beyer & Mike Johnson, Ficlet, Ficlet Collection, Gen, M/M, Original Non-Binary Character - Freeform, Paul's sibling, Season 1, Season 2, Team Bonding, team science
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-01-31 20:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18598966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanceWithMeForScience/pseuds/DanceWithMeForScience
Summary: A collection of previously unpublished-on-AO3 ficlets, shared on Tumblr, Discord, or never before shared.





	1. a fairytale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is set right after the Culmets reunion depicted in the Star Trek Discovery Annual (2018) comic. Originally written as a 2018 fic gift for Louve.

“I know enlisting wasn’t easy for you… but you do look good in uniform.”

As Paul melts into this unexpected kiss from his dear doctor, every doubt and annoyance about this new role completely vanishes. He’d expected it to be many more months before they’d see each other again, an expanse of time that had been weighing heavily on him.

He breaks the kiss to cup Hugh's cheek and admire his face, grinning helplessly. Hugh smiles back and rubs his shoulder. “Never dated a man in a blue uniform before.”

“Oh, medical thinks they’re too good for everyone else?”

Hugh laughs. “Medical never gets out of sickbay long enough to meet anyone else, and we can’t really date our patients.”

“Does that mean you can’t be my doctor?”

“Paul, I’ll _always_ be your doctor,” Hugh says softly, his expression becoming unexpectedly serious. Then the smile returns. “But after the staff see what you’re like, I think they’ll be more than happy to break protocol so they don’t have to talk to you.”

“Hey!” Paul protests, pretending to shove him away. “Rude.”

“Yes, you are.”

Paul’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

“I know we’re in the middle of this war, and I don’t believe in fairytales, but…” Paul steps back, gesturing at Hugh. “You’re here. It’s a dream come true.”

Hugh envelops him in a fierce warm hug. “Here to rescue the man of my dreams from the drudgery of ship life alone. I love you, Paul.”


	2. lost in the woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paul gets lost on a planet while Hugh and Paul are there doing research. This was a livewrite on Discord, from a prompt by @Aphelyons, and largely unedited from the original.

Hugh finishes writing up his case notes from the day and checks the clock on his laptop again. Paul said he was going on a walk to collect some local samples, and that he wouldn't be long. But now it's been four hours, and it's getting dark, and they've just arrived on planet three days ago...  
  
He sighs and rubs his eyes with his left hand. Should he be concerned? It's not like Paul to be late when he's only doing recreational things - he's not here to study this particular biome, but the one up into the mountains, so he doesn't need necessarily to be collecting samples...  
  
_Shit._  
  
Hugh flips open his communicator and calls Paul.  
  
A beep sounds from somewhere else in the room.  
  
_Shit._  
  
Here in the foothills it definitely still gets cold at night. Paul probably forgot to eat all day and didn't take any water with him. Hugh's anger starts to rise along with his worry. _I can't always take care of you._  
  
Within minutes, Hugh's assembled a bag of medical supplies. He throws on a hat and a coat, adding Paul's jacket and beanie to his bag and then slinging the bag over his head as he flings open the door.  
  
"Paul!" he calls immediately, trying not to shout as loudly as he wants. The cool evening air is a shock after two hours in the toasty cabin.  
  
He turns on his wide angle flashlight and surveys the ground, looking for footprints. They usually turn left to head into town, but Paul probably went right, into the woods. But there's no immediate clues to Paul's direction. Into the woods it is.  
  
Hugh's feet crunch softly on the fallen needles from the trees around him. If Paul is looking for samples he probably veered off the trail quickly, and that's going to make it harder on Hugh.  
  
"Paul!" he calls again.  
  
The only answer is a faint chittering from one of the local rodent species.  
  
Hugh sighs, picking up the pace again.  
  
Picking his way through this unfamiliar forest as the sun sets, he tries to stay focused on the task and not on how much he worries about Paul.  
  
_Wait. There._ He stops and shines the flashlight on some compacted needles near the edge of the trail. Crouching, he sees the telltale signs of Paul. A blond hair caught on the edge of a tiny mushroom, and a small hole in the dirt next to it, evidence that Paul picked another mushroom.  
  
And he can just barely pick out an erratic trail of compacted needles heading deeper into the trees.  
  
Like tracking a wild animal, Hugh muses with equal amusement and frustration. "Paul!" he shouts again. Again, nothing.  
  
Off trail, Hugh's worry heightens. He's not particularly familiar with the local flora or fauna and while Paul has probably already developed semi-encyclopedic knowledge on those subjects, Hugh has not.  
  
He hopes there's nothing dangerous out here.  
  
After a few minutes, Hugh loses the trail. There seem to be compacted needles in every direction now. He takes a deep breath, then another, closing his eyes.  
  
"Paul!" he tries again.  
  
This time there's a rustling.  
  
"Paul, are you there?" More rustling.  
  
_That had better be Paul._  
  
The sound gets closer. Paul would say something, right?  
  
A flash of blue appears at the left edge of Hugh's vision and he whirls toward it. _Paul!_  
  
Hugh freezes.  
  
A faintly dark blue four-legged animal, the size of a deer, its - fur? - shimmering in the light of Hugh's flashlight, meanders slowly across the forest. It so far seems unconcerned about Hugh. It has a strangely short face, like a pug or a cat, and two horns sticking straight up from between its ears to more than half a meter above its head. It has paws. With long claws.  
  
Hugh refuses to move, not even to turn off the flashlight. If this creature is aggressive he needs to just stay still. He didn't bring his phaser and he's thoroughly regretting it now.  
  
The creature stops to munch on some needles from a low-hanging branch. Long seconds pass. Hugh's even breathing carefully.  
  
Probably an herbivore, probably an herbivore. He waits another full minute and the creature is still eating. He decides to back away from the scene slowly and hope for the best.  
  
He backs away for several steps, and when there's no alarm from the animal, he starts to walk sideways, scanning the forest around him as he retreats.  
  
To where? he realizes after a few minutes, the blue fur now barely visible in the dim light, beyond his flashlight's range at this setting.  
  
Now he's lost too.  
  
Is this what happened to Paul?  
  
"Hugh!" he hears Paul's distinctive shout-whisper from somewhere behind him, and he whirls full force now, swinging his flashlight around as he takes off.  
  
"Paul?" he returns in the same register as he strides through the forest.  
  
"To your right. Watch your step."  
  
Hugh almost trips over the rock that probably tripped Paul. A few feet away, Paul's propped up against another rock, eyes wide, one leg straight out in front of him, the other bent.  
  
"I'm so glad to see you."  
  
"For fuck's sake, Paul, I am so angry at you right now," Hugh hisses. "What the fuck."  
  
"I tripped over this rock and hurt my foot."  
  
"I see that," Hugh snaps. "I mean, what's with leaving your communicator in the cabin, not taking any supplies?" He crouches in front of Paul, medical scanner already out, surveying the damage. "It's a bad sprain. I can get you walking but you're not going to like the trip." Then he notices the bag next to Paul. "You couldn't have thrown your fucking communicator in there?"  
  
"I know."  
  
Hugh sighs, recognizing his anger spilling out all over the place is probably not helping the situation, but with Paul it's very hard to maintain an even keel.  
  
He runs the regenerator over Paul's foot for long tense moments. "Did you see that giant blue cat thing with horns?"  
  
Paul snorts. "You didn't eat one of my mushroom samples, did you?"  
  
"I'm looking it up when we get back. It was eating the needles from the tree and it also looked like it could rip my throat out."  
  
"There aren't any large predators on this planet," Paul says, wincing as Hugh rearranges his foot slightly for the regenerator.  
  
A faint growling noise comes from the direction of the animal, and a shiver runs down Hugh's spine.  
  
"Maybe it's time to go." Hugh turns off the regenerator. "This will have to do." He gets to his feet and extends a hand to Paul. "Careful."  
  
Paul gets up, bearing most of his weight on his good foot, then tests the other, wincing. "I'll make it, I think. We can't be that far from the cabin."  
  
Hugh resets his tricorder to show them the route home. "We can probably just cut right through the forest until we get back."  
  
"With that flashlight, hopefully we won't trip any more."  
  
"At the risk of repeating myself, Paul - don't scare me like that ever again."  
  
"You have to admit, at least I'm making different mistakes now."  
  
Hugh huffs. "I'm not giving you that much credit."  
  
"I love you, dear doctor. Dear rescue medic." Paul squeezes his hand. "Let's go home. I'm starving."  
  
"Half a mind to leave you out here to forage your dinner," Hugh grumbles, but he's already planning the food he's going to cook and the tea they're going to drink in front of the fire later tonight.


	3. Becoming Community

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set in Engineering, during Choose Your Pain, between “This is so fucking cool” and when Saru confronts Team Science in Engineering for trying to find a genetic solution that won’t harm Ripper. Originally a 2018 fic gift for @tptigger.

Tilly reads the results of another genetic compatibility check and sighs. “Sir? Nothing again.”

“Let’s automate the checks for every species in the database,” Paul suggests, “instead of picking likely candidates ourselves.”

“That’s going to take a while to set up.”

“Well, I don’t think running each check manually is going to be faster, Cadet,” he points out as kindly as he can manage. Tilly blushes and nods. “Get Burnham to help you set up the parameters.” The two move side by side and begin to pore over the code.

Paul tries to rub the exhaustion out of his eyes. He’s already got caffeine jitters, so more coffee is not going to help. But his brain is sluggish, like a shuttle low on fuel…

 _Food._ None of them have eaten in several hours. He can picture Hugh’s disapproving frown. _You’d get your work done faster if you took a meal break, Paul._

“I’ll be right back,” he tells Burnham and Tilly.

A few minutes later he’s standing in front of the food synthesizers. Tilly seems like a comfort food sort of person, and Burnham - who can guess what she likes? Probably Vulcan smugness.

 _That’s unfair_ , his foggy brain reminds him.

If it was up to him he’d just order the chocolate protein shake and be done with it, but…

“Computer, replicate a hearty Vulcan meal for three humans.”

***

Getting down the stairs into engineering with the tray tests Paul’s exhausted balance, although he catches himself right before he misses the last stair.

“Sir!” Tilly rushes over to grab the tray from his hands. “What’s this?”

“Lunch, Cadet. Time for a break. I’ve got t’mirak rice, ulan soup, and saffir. Saffir just looks like bread to me but apparently it’s a Vulcan dessert.”

He catches Burnham’s eye, and she tilts her head slightly in acknowledgement, a little softness in her eyes.

“Sounds wonderful, thank you. We could go sit in the garden?”

They settle on the deck next to the most vibrant section of the garden, careful to keep food bits away from the growing medium. Stray spores float through the air, lending a dreamy quality to their break.

“Ulan is one of my favorites,” Michael says, already halfway through her soup before Paul has even started. “Sometimes I’d sneak more seasoning into mine when no one was looking.”

Tilly grins sideways at Michael as she eats the t’mirak. “I love the image of little you sneaking more flavor into food. You’re all, enjoy life! Enjoy living!”

Michael snorts, an indelicate sound that echoes off the walls. Tilly’s mouth drops open, and then she starts giggling. Michael joins in, and Paul finds himself once again startled by the breach in professionalism. But, the last few days, he’s noticed, his lab team feels less like coworkers and more like _community_.


	4. the quilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by some discussion about blankets that can be seen on Paul and Hugh's bed in shots of their quarters (either in the network or upon Hugh's return), and by Paul's message to his sibling before launching into the future.

Miran yelled out to Paul as he was heading down to the shuttleport to catch the first shuttle in his journey to Deneva. “Paul, wait!”

Paul set down his suitcase, letting his younger, but much bigger, sibling catch up to him at the foot of the walkway. Miran was hiding something behind their back.

“I thought we said our goodbyes,” he said uncomfortably.

“We did,” Miran said, holding out the hidden item, a large paper-wrapped package, lightweight in Paul’s hands as he took it. “But I wanted to give you this. I made it. I hope it reminds you of home.”

Paul tore off the paper hesitantly, revealing a furry textured blue blanket that cascaded down from his hand as he lifted it from the packaging. A soft satiny fabric in the same color covered the other side and all four edges of the blanket.

“Careful, it’s dragging on the ground,” Miran said, lunging for the bottom.

“Thanks.” Paul scooped up the rest of the blanket, squeezing it in his hands, hugging it to his chest, already feeling strangely comforted.

“I know our family isn’t good at displays of emotion? But I just want you to know - you’ve been the best big brother. And I hope you won’t get yourself in too much trouble while you’re gone.” Miran snorted at a sudden thought. “No spilling acid on yourself this time.”

Paul smiled. “I will not spill acid on myself,” he promised solemnly. “Thank you, Miran.”

With the blanket still held to his chest, Paul stepped in for a long hug with his sibling, their big arms wrapping solidly around him, Paul’s head fitting under their chin.

“I’m going to cause extra trouble here at home in your place.”

“I hope your performances scandalize the hell out of them,” Paul said, clapping Miran on the back. “Send me a vid.”

Miran nodded as they broke their hug, staring into each other’s blue eyes for a moment. “Maybe I’ll come visit some time.”

“Please. I’ll make you dinner. We can visit a Denevan museum.”

Miran’s face crumpled a bit, pale skin flushing in that familiar Stamets way. “Go. Dammit, I’m going to start crying.” They sniffled. “Let us know when you arrive.”

“I will.”

Paul picked up his suitcase, tucking the blanket under his arm, and headed down the sidewalk toward the shuttleport. Strange how he felt both affirmed and supported in his choice to leave, and now wanted to go less than he ever had.


	5. the stars are vast enough to hold you safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> About a week after Discovery lands in the future, Paul and Hugh have one talk of many, about their past and future. Lightly edited from the original.

The doors to the observation lounge whoosh open behind Hugh.

“There you are,” Paul’s voice carries over the tension already present in the room. “I’ve been looking all over. You missed dinner.” He approaches Hugh from the back, his footsteps falling more slowly as he approaches. He breathes in as he stops just behind Hugh, to the right. “Is everything okay?”

Hugh sighs, though it gives him no relief from the weight on his chest. “No.”

Paul huffs softly, trying to hold in frustration at Hugh’s taciturn nature. Hugh's been hearing that huff a lot over the past week. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I can’t, really. Doctor-patient confidentiality.” He never looks away from the stars; they’re stopped in space above a planet, trying to get some resources for the next stage of the journey, but the observation lounge faces away from the planet, into the vastness of space, an infinity that feels not quite big enough for all the thoughts and feelings swirling inside him.

“Hugh.” Paul takes his hand, stepping up just forward of him now, looking at him with wide worried eyes, arched eyebrows, but such softness that Hugh finally feels his walls start to fall. “Please talk to me.”

Please talk to me. How many times has he used that same line on Paul? How many times did Paul use his work to hide from his problems, and then that spilled over into their relationship? He sighs again; the weight lifts a little.

“Someone almost died in surgery today,” he says finally.

“I’m sorry.” Paul squeezes his hand. “Almost?”

“We treated them. They’ll be fine.” Hugh sees Linus’ eyes again, how they blinked open even in the midst of anesthesia when his heart stopped. Hugh felt like he’d stepped directly into one of those horror movies he can’t stomach. Caught between terror for his own life and for Linus’, while Tracy lunged for the crash hypo and gave orders to their assistants.

He looks over at Paul, who’s now staring out to space, with a small sad smile on his lips. His voice is knowing, heavy. “But that’s not what’s bothering you.”

“What makes you say that?” Hugh asks with a fake chuckle.

Paul turns to him again. “You wouldn’t miss dinner and refuse to tell me where you were if it was only that.”

Their new relationship is different and stronger in many ways. One of them is Paul learning to be direct. Sometimes when Hugh no longer can be, or wants to be, when the words turn to ashes in his throat.

He knows he should be better than he is, right now.

“It made me think of you almost dying last week. I don’t know how many times it’s been now, since I’ve known you,” Hugh admits, with a touch of frustration.

“I’m sorry.” Paul’s eyebrows finally begin to fall as he understands. He squeezes Hugh’s hand again. 

“But it’s more than that,” he continues, the words spilling out of him now. “I walked away from you. I walked away from us. You could have died without me at your side.”

Paul bites his lip, his eyes already filling with tears.

Hugh drops Paul's hand to hold his clenching hands under folded arms, trying to hold himself in. “I know I was dealing with a lot. Everything was and is still so new to me. But what I can’t really understand is why I felt so distant from you, in those weeks. It doesn’t make any sense. I can’t reconcile me then, me now. I barely gave myself a chance to process, let alone gave you a chance, before I walked away. I didn’t talk to you. I was so angry. I’ve never felt like that before.”

Paul nods, swallows.

The lump in Hugh’s throat grows, and he swallows it back before continuing, “I got caught up in wishing I had acted differently.”

“You know I forgive you, right? More than forgive. I understand.” Paul tentatively clasps Hugh's elbow with both hands, as if tethering him. “No one has ever been through what you experienced. I had more than my part in causing our split. I was inconsiderate about what you were going through.”

“Yeah.” He doesn’t feel convinced.

“But you did come back. And I can’t imagine facing the future without you. So I hope you will forgive yourself too.”

Hugh feels the tears tracking down his cheeks, and his mouth opens in a sob that he can't stop. Paul wraps him in a tight hug, rubbing his back gently as he shakes with quiet tears, his gasps the only sound.

“I mean it, Hugh. I forgive you. I hope you forgive me too.”

“Of course,” Hugh whispers. He looks over Paul’s shoulder to the stars, finally feels that they are vast enough to contain him. Vast enough to contain them, hold them steady, maybe even hold them safe, together.


End file.
